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review

Pragmasis Shed Shackle security anchor

9
£49.99

VERDICT:

9
10
As secure as your bikes can be in a shed without a ground anchor
Weight: 
2,260g

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Ground anchors are fantastic if you've got a bit of hard standing to drill into, but what if your shed's on decking or earth? The Pragmasis Shed Shackle is the next best thing.

The Shed Shackle is a reinforcing kit for your shed that turns the shed wall into a secure locking point. You get a hardened, powder coated steel shackle and two long plates, plus a short one, and the bits go together to form just about the most secure option available to anyone without a proper floor.

The main shackle fits to a vertical beam of the shed, and the short plate can be used to bridge horizontally to the next beam to help resist twisting attacks. Pragmasis supplies shear bolts that break at a certain torque to leave a smooth conical surface. The shear bolts can dig into the wood a bit if it's soft but the nut does eventually come off, so perservere.

Once fitted it’s impossible to remove without removing the section of shed wall that it's anchored to. I'm on my second shed shackle, the first still being firmly attached to the shed wall at my old house.

The lock loop is 50mm tall, so you can get in a hefty chain (Pragmasis says it'll take two of the company's Protector 11mm chains, or one 13mm and one 11mm at the same time) or other beefy lock. No point compromising here, it's not like you need a lock you can carry around.

Unlike a ground anchor the shackle fits at frame height which makes it a bit easier to use, and improves security by making it harder to rest your lock on the floor for attack by bolt croppers.

The array of pieces means that you can fit it pretty much anywhere that's convenient. When not in use it's unobtrusive and only juts out a couple of inches from the shed wall.

Pragmasis claims to have sold over 1,000 Shed SHackles, and never one defeated, or even attacked. There's also a version for steel sheds if you want to beef up the security of a metal bike shelter.

Verdict

It’s hard to imagine how a shed-mounted anchor could be more secure, or more versatile, and if you can't fit an anchored lock point then this is a great next bet.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Pragmasis Shed Shackle

Price: £49.99

Weight: 2260g

Size tested: n/a

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
10/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? yes

Would you consider buying the product? I have in the past and would again

Would you recommend the product to a friend? yes

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 190cm  Weight: 105kg

I usually ride: Schwinn Moab, urbanised with 700cs  My best bike is: Trek 1.5 with upgrades

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling

 

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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14 comments

Avatar
Paul_C | 9 years ago
0 likes

there's a very simple tool that will defeat those shear head nuts... a nut splitter...

http://www.screwfix.com/p/laser-nut-splitters/17610

silent as well...

Avatar
Sausages best friend | 9 years ago
0 likes

I got myself a Shed Shackle a couple of months ago as part of my security measures and it certainly seems up to the job - although I hope never to have to put it to the test!

Avatar
dunnoh replied to Sausages best friend | 9 years ago
0 likes
Sausages best friend wrote:

I got myself a Shed Shackle a couple of months ago as part of my security measures and it certainly seems up to the job - although I hope never to have to put it to the test!

I have something similar but for a little more security I wrapped the shed in chicken wire to stop a saw being used to cut round the shackle.

Avatar
Sausages best friend replied to dunnoh | 9 years ago
0 likes

Interesting idea, is the chicken wire internal or external? At the end of the day a determined thief will have the bike regardless, all we can do is slow them down or make it so inconvenient for them that they move on.

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 9 years ago
0 likes

I've had one of these for a couple of years and can confirm it's as good as Dave says.

I also have one of their ground anchors and a couple of their chains. The kit contents and instructions for fitting the shackles and anchor are great, taking all the potential problems into account. The chains laughed at my test with a set of 3ft bolt cutters.

The guidance on their website is spot on and shows a real understanding of their products in application.

They're also really nice people to do business with!

I highly recommend checking them out for non-portable security for bikes.

Avatar
GREGJONES | 9 years ago
0 likes

That bucket thing, is a fantastic idea. I'm off to the builders merchant...

Avatar
j4m1eb | 9 years ago
0 likes

Or you could try what I did. Bought a trug (large flexible builders bucket thing) about £6 and a welded ground anchor for caravans from eBay £10. And set it in contretemps in the trug. Weighs about 100kg but is still just movable in your shed. Good luck to anyone who wants to carry your bike off attached to it.  1

#macgyver

Avatar
sponican replied to j4m1eb | 9 years ago
0 likes
j4m1eb wrote:

... And set it in contretemps in the trug.

Good idea. No-one wants an argument.

Avatar
sponican replied to j4m1eb | 9 years ago
0 likes
j4m1eb wrote:

... And set it in contretemps in the trug.

I might try filling one with a brouhaha instead.

Avatar
Dr_Lex replied to sponican | 9 years ago
0 likes
sponican wrote:
j4m1eb wrote:

... And set it in contretemps in the trug.

I might try filling one with a brouhaha instead.

Don't be silly; that's to keep the sheep off your lawn; you want a debacle with your shackle.
You know the saying; "storm in a teacup, debacle in a trug".

Avatar
aslongasicycle | 9 years ago
0 likes

Just the thing for our new house. Thank you.

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Paul_C | 9 years ago
0 likes

Here's a linky thing with pictures:

http://securityforbikes.com/shed-shackle.php

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Paul_C | 9 years ago
0 likes

a picture showing it installed would have been a valuable help here... just showing the bits spread on a white sheet is no good at all.

Avatar
jasonbrim | 9 years ago
0 likes

Sounds great, but some images would have been nice.

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